Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

This conversation is moderated according to USA TODAY's
community rules.
Please read the rules before joining the discussion.

Will Mexico allow asylum seekers to remain as U.S. reviews their cases?

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium. Nick Oza/The Republic

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.
Nick Oza/The Republic

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

More busloads of migrants arrive in Tijuana

Several charter buses arrive just past midnight Nov. 20, 2018, and in the early hours Nov. 21 to the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, the sports complex that city opened up as a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. It's unclear exactly how many migrants had traveled on board. But inside, 3,000 other migrants had been arriving in Tijuana since last week. Overcrowded shelter, with minimal options on space with little other choices, many of them settled into the cold and damp field of the outdoor baseball stadium.

TUCSON — Mexican officials appeared divided Thursday on whether that nation would cooperate with a new U.S. policy to house asylum seekers in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security directive, which is almost certain to face legal challenges, upends decades of U.S. policy. It also has raised serious concerns among Mexican government officials and migrant-aid groups at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexican border communities have struggled for years to accommodate rising numbers of mostly Central American migrants waiting to seek asylum under the U.S.' "metering" policy. That policy allows a handful of migrants to be processed each day while the remaining asylum seekers wait in Mexico, for weeks and sometimes months.

Adding to concerns are the lack of infrastructure and a constant threat of violence against migrants at the border, especially along the Tamaulipas-Texas border — the busiest transit point for asylum seekers — where rival cartels have fought bloody turf wars for years.

In a statement Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. notified them of the change in policy less than two hours before formally announcing it. The ministry said that "for humanitarian reasons and in a temporary manner," they had agreed to take in asylum seekers after they had been processed by U.S. officials.

"(Asylum seekers) will have the right to equal treatment without any type of discrimination and with due respect to their human rights, as well as the opportunity to solicit a permit to work in exchange for a salary, which will allow them to cover their basic needs," Mexico's Foreign Ministry statement read.

"In the short term, the National Migration Institute does not have the capacity to operate this type of program," Director Tonatiuh Guillén told reporters.

The administration of the new Mexican president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, slashed the immigration agency's budget this year, as well as a federal commission that handles asylum cases.

"The second issue is that the law that we operate under also doesn't allow us to implement it," Guillén added. "So until this mostly legal context is resolved ... we will not be able to ... receive migrants that are seeking asylum in the United States."

CLOSE

Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen told lawmakers that migrants heading to the southwest border to seek asylum in the United States will have to wait in Mexico until their claims are processed, under an agreement between the two countries. (Dec. 20)
AP

Announcement stuns Mexican officials

Thursday's announcement stunned local government officials in Mexico, as well as migrant-aid groups that would be affected by the policy change.

Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum blasted Lopez Obrador for agreeingto go along with the U.S. plan without consulting border communities like his.

"It's a terrible decision by the federal government when it breaches in such a flagrant manner our municipal authority," he said. "It does not take into account elected officials and it does not take into account the citizens of Tijuana."

His city provides a glimpse of what could happen border wide if the policy is implemented. More than 6,000 mostly Honduran migrants arrived at Tijuana in the span of two weeks in November as part of a caravan.

CLOSE

President Donald Trump said that migrants from South America need to enter the country in legal ports of entry to qualify for asylum. Is he correct?
William Flannigan, azcentral

Before the federal government stepped in, the city government spent more than $27,000 per day to house and feed them in a makeshift shelter. The city's dozen permanent shelters had already been filled by the nearly 2,000 migrants waiting to apply for asylum in the U.S. under the "metering" policy.

The caravan's arrival increased tensions and hostility toward migrants among local residents who voiced their opposition in marches and on social media. Over the weekend, Mexican police arrested three people who are accused of beating two caravan members to death in an attempted robbery.

Adam Isacson, a border expert with the human-rights advocacy group Washington Office for Latin America, said the latest incident "is mere foreshadowing of what might happen to a large ... population awaiting their U.S. asylum hearings."

In some shelters, such as in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, across the border from McAllen, Texas, migrants are not allowed to leave the facilities as a precaution, according to shelter workers.

Along that part of the border, the Zetas and Gulf cartels, the two groups fighting for control over the busy and lucrative trafficking area, have been known to recruit, extort and kill northbound migrants.

"Migrants in Mexico may be more vulnerable to organized crime because (a) they're unemployed and subject to recruitment. Or (b) they're believed to have relatives in the US who can wire them money, and subject to extortion," Isacson said.

CLOSE

Arizona Republic reporters explain the difference between seeking asylum at the border and attempting to immigrate illegally.
Carly Henry, The Republic | azcentral.com

Will border communities get help?

Contributing to the vulnerability of asylum seekers is a lack of infrastructure to accommodate large numbers of migrants for extended periods of time in border communities.

One of the biggest questions from residents of those communities is what, if anything, will the Mexican and U.S. governments do to help them.

Nearly all of the shelters and aid groups along the Mexican side of the border are run by religious organizations like the Catholic-affiliated Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Sonora.

"It strikes us as deeply ironic that this announcement was made a few days before Christmas, when we're remembering Mary, Joseph and Jesus also had to flee and seek refuge in Egypt," said Joanna Williams, advocacy director for the Kino Border Initiative.

"For us, it's really a betrayal of values of our faith to have such a flagrant attack on people's right to safety," she said.

When large numbers of asylum seekers began amassing at the port of entry in Nogales earlier this year, civic and community groups came together to create a system to shuttle families to and from shelters while they waited to talk to U.S. immigration officers.

Williams said those efforts have taxed their limited resources. She questioned whether community organizations alone would be able to sustain aid programs for asylum seekers potentially for years, while their cases are processed.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Central Americans from Honduras and El Salvador stay at a shelter run by Grupo de Ayuda para el Migrante en Mexicali, a Christian-based group in Mexicali, Mexico. Some migrants are waiting to go to Tijuana to join others in the migrant caravan to cross the U.S. port of entry and ask for asylum. Nick Oza, for USA TODAY

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Why did Mexico go along?

Another unanswered question many local stakeholders asked is why the Mexican government agreed to the deal in the first place.

"It seems like the new Mexican government is bending over backwards to appease the Trump administration, and to keep the relationship flowing," said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute and an expert on U.S.-Mexico relations.

Selee said he didn't know, but it appeared there was some trade-off between the U.S. and Mexico to get Mexico's cooperation with the new U.S. policy.

That trade-off could include development aid for Mexico and Central America, he said, especially as Mexico takes a greater role in controlling immigration within its borders.

"That may not be true. But it looks that way," Selee said. "The development doesn't seem to be very real, but Mexico is assuming a very real role in keeping Central Americans there."

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Women, men and children are stopped by Mexican federal police after they tried to peacefully march to the El Chaparral pedestrian point of entry on Nov. 29, 2018. The group intended to call for a hunger strike to bring changes to the current protocols of asylum in the U.S. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun